Container closure



nv. 13, 1945. A. GUDHExM' v 2,3%,73

CONTAINER CLOSURE Filed Feb. 8, 1944 JNVENTOR. HRA/5 Guo/vE/M Patented Nov. 13, 1945 l UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CONTAINER CLOSURE Arne Gudheim, Winchester, Mass., assigner to Lever Brothers Company, Cambridge, Mass., a corporation of Maine Application February 8, 1944, Serial No. 521,495

8 Claims.

This invention relatesI to containers and closures therefor, and particularly to constructions of this character which are of simple and ecoing the seal and if the sealing disc is transparent the contents may be inspected without actually opening the container. However, the caps used with such constructions heretofore have been provided with threads which engage complementary threads on the container to urge the sealing disc against the adhesive on the top of the neck of the container to afford the desired air-tight seal. Moreover, the caps have always been formed of metal or plastic compositions because caps or cover members formed of paper, fibrous material or the like cannot be formed satisfactorily with screw threads, particularly when the nieck of the container is of relatively large diame er.

In accordance withV lthe present invention a construction is provided wherein the container may be formed of glass or other suitable material. An inner, flexible, sealing diaphragm is employed for closing the container, which diaphragm may preferably be transparent. The outer cover member used is of a slip type which is wholly or largely frictionally held in place even though the diameter of the neck of the container is relatively large. It may be formed of fibrous material such as paper, metal or plastics or combinations thereof.

The advantages of the present invention are attained by using a sealing diaphragm which is of substantially larger diameter than the neck of the container so that marginal portions thereof are turned down about the neck into position to .engage the outwardly facing surface of the neck of the container. With this construction it is Y possible to use a slip cover of fibrous or other material as distinguished from a threaded cover, and when an adhesive is employed between the upwardlyfacing surface on the neck of the container and the sealing diaphragm the cover serves to urge the 4sealing diaphragm toward the One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a novel and inexpensive closure and Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a typical container and closure construction embodying the present invention with the parts shown in separated position;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view through the container and closure of Fig. 1 with the parts shown in assembled position; and

Fig. 3 is a perspective of the construction illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 as they appear on removal of 4the cover member.

In that form of the invention, chosen for purposes of illustration in the drawing, the container 2 is formed of` glass or other material and provided With a neck 4' having an upwardly facingflat surface B. Outwardly projecting annular beads 3 are formed on the neck of the container below the surface 6. An adhesive l0, is applied to the upwardly facing surface B of the container and preferably isformed of a suitable composi tion adapted to seal the space .between the container and a sealing diaphragm I2.

The sealing diaphragm is of substantially larger diameter than the neck o f the container and ls designed to be placed in contact with the adhesive I0 on the at surface 6 to seal the container. The diaphragm is centered with respect to the neck of the container so that the marginal portions Il thereof may be turned down as indicated in Figs. 2 and 3. The portions I4 of the diaphragm thus engage the beads 8 which project out from the neck of the container. A slip cover I6 preferably formed of fibrous material such as paper, cardboard, chipboard or the like, is provided with a cylindrical portion I8 having an.

internal diameter substantially equal to the externaldiameter of the beads 8 on the neck of the container. The beads 8 may be. interrupted, at Spfed points as indicated at.l9 so that air may be expelled' readily from beneath the slip cover i8 where it is applied over the sealing diaphragm, or they may be arranged in the form of threads.

The upper extremity of the cylindrical portion of the cover is turned inward upon itself as indicated at 20 in Fig. 2, and serves to hold a central fibrous disc 22 in place so that it extends over -and protects the sealing diaphragm. The cen- The sealing diaphragm may be formed of any flexible resistant sheet material such as waxed paper or plastic lm but preferably consists of cellulose acetate or other transparent material so that upon removal of the slip cover from the oontainer the contents may -be inspected and presented in an attractive manner. The adhesive i whichforms the seal between the sealing diaphragm and the container may be a conventional type of sealing compound preferably of a nondrying type although a drying type may be used.

In applying the closure of the present const; uction adhesive material ID is applied to the fiat upper surface of the neck of the container. Thereafter the sealing diaphragm l2 is applied to the adhesive in centered relation with respect to the neck of the container. Finally the slip cover is forced down over the projecting marginal portions of the sealing diaphragm so as to turn,

them downward and force them into contact with the projecting beads 8 on the neck of the container. The cylindrical portion i8 of the slip cover is preferably long enough to project beyond the downwardly turned portions I4 of the sealing diaphragm so as to present a neat appearance to the finished container. Similarly the diameter of the sealing diaphragm I2 should be great enough so that the downwardly turned marginal portions thereof will be firmly clamped and frictionally retained between the inner surface of the cylindrical portion ofthe cover and the projecting beads 8 on the neck of the container.

Inwardly turned portion at the upper extremity of the cylindrical portion i8 of the cover member is so positioned that it overlies that portion of the sealing diaphragm which is in contact with the adhesive i0 on the neck of the container. With this construction the cover may be forced downward over the sealing diaphragm so as to cause the portion 20 to urge the sealing diaphragm into sealing contact with the adhesive i0 and form an air-tight seal therebetween. When, as preferred, the cover includes a central disc 22, the disc is urged against the sealing diaphragm by the inwardly turned portion 20 of the cover member to insure proper contact between the sealing diaphragm and the adhesive.

With this construction it is not necessary to rotate the cover in order to force the sealing diaphragm into sealingcontact with the adhesive. Furthermore the frictional retention of the downwardly turned portions Il of the sealing diaphragm by the cylindrical portion of the cover and the projecting beads 8 of the neck of the container, serves to prevent displacement of the sealing diaphragm and rupture of the Seal 119011 expansion and contraction of the air within the container. 'I'he clamping of the marginal portions of the sealing diaphragm positively precludes lifting of the diaphragm from the adhesive on the surface 6 when the air within the container expands, whereas it serves in a similar way to prevent the diaphragm from slipping inward to rupture the seal in the event the air contracts after the container has been sealed.

Upon removal of the cover from the container the adhesive i0 serves to retain the sealing diaphragm in place. At the same time by forming the sealing diaphragm of transparent material the contents of the container may be inspected without breaking the air-tight seal afforded by the diaphragm I2 and adhesive iii. Nevertheless when the container is to be opened to remove the contents therefrom the downwardly turned skirt ii of the diaphragm may be readily grasped and raised to strip the diaphragm from the container.

While preferred formsof container, closure and sealing diaphragm have been illustrated in the drawing and described above, it will be apparent that each of these elements is capable of numerous changes and modifications in form, construction and arrangement. In view thereof it should be understood that the embodiment of the invention specifically-referred to above is intended to be illustrative only and is not intended to limit the scope of the following claims.

-, lclaim:

1. In combination with a container having a neck presenting a flat upwardly facing surface and provided with a bead projecting outwardly from said neck below said surface, means for sealing said container comprising adhesive material located on the upwardly facing surface of said neck, a diaphragm formed of flexible sheet material and of greater diameter than said neck, said diaphragm being centered with respect to said neck and having sealing contact with said adhesive, the marginal portions of said daphragm extending downward over said bead, and a slip cover having a portion thereof bearing against the opposite face of that portion of said diaphragm which engages said adhesive and frictionally retaining the downwardly extending portions of the diaphragm between the slip cover and said bead. I

2. In combination with a container having a neck presenting a flat upwardly facing surface and provided with a bead projecting outwardly from said neck below said surface, means for sealing said container comprising adhesive material located on the upwardly facing surface of 'said neck, a diaphragm formed of transparent, flexible sheet material and of greater diameter than said neck, said diaphragm being centered with respect to said neck and having sealing contact with said adhesive, the marginal portions of said diaphragm extending downward over said bead, and a slip cover having a portion thereof ameter than said neck, said diaphragm being centered with respect to said neck and having sealing contact with said adhesive, the marginal portions of said diaphragm extending downward over said bead, and a slip cover having a portion thereof bearing against the opposite face of that portion of said diaphragm which engages said adhesive and frictionally retaining the downwardly extending portions of the diaphragm between the slip cover and said bead.

4. In combination with a container having a neck presenting a flat upwardly facing surface and provided with a bead projecting outwardly from saidneck below said surface, means for sealing said container comprising adhesive material located on the upwardly facing surface of said neck, a diaphragm formed of flexible sheet material and of greater diameter than said neck, said diaphragm being centered with respect .to said neck and havingsealing contact with said adhesive, the marginal portions of saiddiaphragm extending downward over said bead, and a slip cover formed of fibrous material and having a por-l tion thereof bearing against the opposite face' of that portion of said diaphragm which engages said adhesive and frictionally retaining the downwardly extending portions of the diaphragm between the slip cover and said bead.

5. In combination with a container having a neck with a iiat upwardly facing surface thereon and having a bead projecting outwardly from said neck below said surface, means for sealing said container comprising a diaphragm of exiblesheet material of substantially greater diameter than said neck, adhesive material on the upwardly facing surface of said neck and engaged by said sheet material, and a slip cover formed with a cylindrical portion having an internal diameter substantially equal to the external diameter of the bead on said neck andv having an inwardly extending portion positioned above the dat surface on the neck of the container to urge said diaphragm against the adhesive on said surface, the marginal portionsofsaid diaphragm being frictionally retained between the cylindri-1 cal portion of the slip cover and the bead on the neck of the container.

6. YIn combination Witha container having a Y neck with a at upwardly facing surface thereon and having a bead projecting outwardly from said neck below said surface, means for sealing said container comprising a diaphragm of nexible cellulose acetate of substantially greater di- -Yameter than saidvneck, adhesive material on the upwardly facing surface of said neck and enpaged by said sheet material, and a slip cover formed with a cylindrical portion having an intermal diameter substantially equal to the external diameter of the bead on said neck and having an inwardly extending portion positioned above the at surface on the neck of the container to i said container comprising a diaphragm of flexible sheet material of substantially greater diameter than said neck, adhesive material on the upwardly facing surface of said neck and engaged by said sheet material, and a slip cover formed with a cylindrical portion having an internal diameter substantially equal to the external diameter of the bead on said heck and having an inwardly extending portion positioned above the at surface on the neck of the container to urge said diaphragm against the adhesive on said surface, the marginal portions of said diaphragm being frictionally retained between the cylindri- `cal portion of the slip cover and the bead on the neck of the container and said cover having a central disc carried thereby and located above the sealing diaphragm to protect the same against injury, said disc being held in Place by the inwardly extending portion of the cover.

8. In combination with a container having a neck with a? flat upwardly facing surface thereon and having a bead projecting outwardly from said neck below said surface, means for sealing said container comprising a diaphragm of transparent and flexible cellulose acetate of substantially greater diameter than said neck, adhesive material on the upwardly facing surface of said neck and engaged by said sheet material, anda slip cover formed of fibrous material with a cylindrical portion having an internal diameter substantially equal to the external diameter of the bead on said neck and having an inwardly extending portion positioned above the at surface on the neck of the container to urge said dia-v vand said bead being formed to permit the escape of air from beneath said cover when the cover is applied to the. container. 

